Claiming Your Canaan Series #8
Joshua 9:1-27
BEING TOO FRIENDLY WITH THE ENEMY
Intro: Observers have noted that certain kinds of ants
have a passion for the sweet, glandular substance
given off by the caterpillar of a large blue butterfly.
They can become so "addicted" to it that they even
seek out "the supplier" and carry him to their nest with
delight. But they unwittingly bring home an enemy in
disguise, for the caterpillar gorges himself exclusively
on ant larva. Usually such a threat to the colony would
be repelled with great vigor, but the adults enjoy the
tasty secretions of the "guest" so much that they are
oblivious of the fact that their young are being devoured
in the process.
As I read this story of the foolish ants, I began to see
a similarity between this story and what the Bible tells
us about Joshua and Israel in Joshua chapter 9. In
these verses, we see Israel becoming too friendly with
their enemies.
The people of Israel have just defeated the city of Ai
and are preparing to march deeper into Canaan as they
claim the promised land which the Lord had given to
them. As I said, they are fresh from a victory. In fact,
they now have a couple of impressive victories under
their belts. They have seen the great walled city of
Jericho defeated and they have witnessed the pesky
little town of Ai defeated too. However, before they will
ever see another victory, Israel must learn a valuable
lesson about becoming too friendly with the enemy.
In the battles and stories related to Israel's conquest
of Canaan, we can see a picture of our lives as children
of God as we struggle to obtain the victory in our lives.
As I look at the Bible's record of these events, it is not
too hard for me to see the parallels between the battles
Israel fought in the flesh and the ones which we fight in
the spirit. In fact, these cities that they have faced all
teach us a spiritual lesson.
1. Jericho - A type of the world - It was defeated,
and we have the promise of victory over the
world in our walk with the Lord Jesus, 1 John
5:4, "For whatsoever is born of God
overcometh the world: and this is the victory
that overcometh the world, even our faith."
2. Ai - A type of the flesh - It, too, was defeated,
and we have the promise of victory in the flesh
as we battle for the Lord Jesus, Romans 7:24-25, "O wretched man that I am! who shall
deliver me from the body of this death? I
thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So
then with the mind I myself serve the law of
God; but with the flesh the law of sin."
3. Gibeon - A type of the devil - This is a battle
that still must be fought. However, we have
been promised victory in this area as well. To
obtain it, we must trust the Lord Jesus Christ and
walk in His will day by day. He can be defeated -
James 4:7, "Submit yourselves therefore to
God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from
you." Eventually, the devil will get exactly what
he deserves! Rev. 20:1-10.
However, today, we must still contend with him.
Fortunately, the Lord has not left us without a word in
this matter. In this passage, that recounts Israel's
experience with the people of Gibeon, we can see a
portrait of the devil and his devices. As we will see,
there is a danger in becoming friendly with the enemy.
That is the thought that I would like to preach on for a
while this morning. Let's look into this passage as we
think about the thought, Being Too Friendly With The
Enemy.
I. V. 1-13 THE ENEMY CAN BE DECEPTIVE
(Ill. Note verses 1-2. When all the kings of Canaan
heard what had happened to Ai and to Jericho, they
joined forces to seek to defeat Israel. Isn't it amazing
how the devil's crowd will join up to fight God's people?
Just look at the way Jesus was treated by His
enemies. The Pharisees and the Herodians hated one
another, but they came together in the common effort
of seeing Jesus put to death. Another friendship that
was formed over the death of our Lord was that which
was formed between Herod Antipas and Pontius
Pilate. We are still seeing these same kind of alliances
formed in our day!)
A. V. 4 He Uses Deceptive Wiles - When the
Gibeonites heard that the Israelites were
headed in their direction, they devised a
scheme to trick Israel into making a peace
treaty with them. They dressed in old clothes,
carried old bread and wine and pretended that
they were from far away. They did everything
in their power to trick Israel.
(Ill. What a picture of our enemy, the devil! The
Bible tells us in Eph. 6:11 that we fight an
enemy that uses "wiles" to get his way in our
lives. The word "wiles" refers to "deceit,
trickery, cunning arts." You see friends,
Satan would like nothing better than to trip you
up and cause you to fall into one of his traps.
Just before Jesus died, He told Simon Peter
that Satan desired to have him that he might
sift him as wheat, Luke 22:31-32. Satan wants
to do the same to you and me. He wants us to
fall. He wants us to fail, and he will stop at
nothing to bring that to pass. 1 Tim. 3:7 tells us
that Satan uses "snares" to catch his prey.
This word refers to a trap set by a hunter in
order that he might capture his prey. So, Satan
uses deceptive wiles, just like the people of
Gibeon did.)
B. V. 4-5 He Uses Deceptive Wares - The
Gibeonites had taken every step possible to
deceive Israel into believing that they were from
a far away country. They carried old sacks on
their donkeys, broken and bound up wine skins,
patched shoes shabby clothing and even some
moldy bread. Their entire aim was to trick
Israel.
(Ill. May I remind you that when the devil comes
to you in temptation, or to trip you up, he does
not do so in a red suit with a pointy tail and
horns. He will not be carrying a pitchfork and
he will not smell like sulphur. When the devil
comes to your life to cause you trouble, he will
appear as an angel of light, 2 Cor. 11:14. He
will make his plan appear to be the perfect
thing for your life. So, beware of every impulse
that comes down the line. Check out
everything by the Word of God and by the will
of God and the Lord will always lead you in the
right way!)
C. V. 6-13 He Uses Deceptive Words - Notice that
in these verses, these men from Gibeon lied, v.
6, 9, 11-12; they used claimed to be something
they were not, v. 8-9; and they were careful in
what they referred to, v. 10 (Ill. They did not
mention anything that had happened since Israel
had crossed Jordan, giving the impression that
they had indeed been traveling for quiet some
time.)
(Ill. Again, this is a perfect picture of our enemy,
the devil. He will use slick and enticing speech to
get you to yield to his plans for your life. He
practiced this kind of trickery in the Garden of
Eden when he talked to Eve, Gen. 3:1-6. He
told her that she could question God's Word,
v. 1; He told her that God did not really mean
what God has said, v. 3; He told her that God
was really just holding out on her, v. 5. In
other words, the devil will give you every reason
in the world to justify the things he wants you to
do. Then when you have followed him and are
out of God's will and in trouble, he will discard
you like a piece of trash and leave you to rot in
your sins!
I wonder:
1. Just what did the devil tell Cain to get him to
kill Abel?
2. Just what did the devil tell David to get him to
sleep with Bathsheba?
3. Just what did the devil tell Judas to get him to
betray the Lord Jesus?
4. Just what has the devil told you in the past;
and what is he telling you now?
Ill. You see, 2 Cor. 2:11 tells us that Satan
desires to gain an "advantage" over us and to do
this, he will use every trick in the book to get us
to follow him into failure. Be careful! 1 Peter 5:8
tells us what the devil is up to this morning. He
wants you. He wants your family. He wants your
testimony. He wants your church. If you have it
and it's from the Lord, he wants it, and to get it,
he will do anything!
I. The Enemy Can Be Deceptive
II. V. 14 -21 THE ENEMY CAN BE DESTRUCTIVE
A. V. 14 Their Ability To See Clearly Was
Disrupted - Notice that in verse 7, Joshua
initially was a little skeptical of these so-called
ambassadors. He questioned them about
their origin again in verse 8. Joshua is to be
commended for his caution, but he gave up
just a little too soon! When the Gibeonites
showed him their clothes, their food and the
broken wineskins, Joshua was more than
impressed and he believed their story!
(Ill. If the Lord has done anything for His
children, He has given us a perfect Book and
powerful Spirit. These two items give us a
distinct advantage when it comes to fighting
the devil! Using the Bible and the inner
leading of the Spirit of God, we can do what 1
Pet. 5:8 says and we can be "sober and
vigilant". These words carry the idea of being
in control of ourselves and of being watchful.
You do not have to fall for everything the devil
tells you! He is a liar and the father of it, John
8:44. Hey folks, we do not have to fall into his
traps! Thank God ,we can walk in victory over
the devil if we will be sober and vigilant!)
(Ill. My friends, when your spiritual vision gets
dim through neglect of the Word of God and
prayer, you are very susceptible to the tricks
and traps of the enemy. It is impossible to
have the victory over him when we neglect the
very things which are designed to make us
strong! The Bible tells us in Eph. 4:27, that
we are not to give "place" to the devil in our
lives. This word refers to a beachhead. If we
give the devil room in our lives to attack us,
you can count on the fact that he will! We
must always be on guard to avoid his attacks.
Don't even let him have so much as a foot in
the door!)
B. V. 14 Their Ability To Seek Counsel Was
Disrupted - Notice that Israel ate with the
Gibeonites and did not even take the matter to
the Lord in prayer. To break bread with
someone in that day was considered to be a
sign of unalterable friendship. But what they
considered to be the right thing to do turned
into a problem because they did not take the
time to take the matter to the Lord in prayer
first and neither did they take the time to wait
on His answer. As a result, they stepped out
of the will of God and had to suffer the
consequences!
(Ill. How many times has this been true in your
life and mine? We look at what the devil has
to offer us and we join up with him without
even seeking the Lord's will in the matter. At
other times, we stack the deck in our favor so
that even the Lord's attempts to speak to us
and change our direction are made to appear
like His blessings on our decision. I am trying
to tell you this morning that you need to be
sure that it is the Lord's voice you are listening
to and not the devil's or even that of your own
flesh! God will is that we seek His face and
that we give Him time to give us His answer!
What does the Lord say? Ex. 14:13; "Stand
still and see the salvation of the Lord..."; Isa. 40:31, "But they that wait upon the
LORD shall renew their strength; they shall
mount up with wings as eagles; they shall
run, and not be weary; and they shall walk,
and not faint."; Psalm 27:14, "Wait on the
LORD: be of good courage, and he shall
strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the
LORD." Well, you get the idea! God expects
His people to seek His will and wait on His
answer!)
C. V. 15-21 Their Ability To Stay Clean
Was Disrupted - In these verses, we see that the
Israelites ability to be a separate people
before the Lord was marred by their decision
to make a league with the Gibeonites. God
had told them to utterly destroy the inhabitants
and to make no covenants with them at all,
Deut 7:2, "And when the LORD thy God
shall deliver them before thee; thou shalt
smite them, and utterly destroy them; thou
shalt make no covenant with them, nor
shew mercy unto them:" However, Israel
disobey this command and as a result they
sinned before the Lord.
(Ill. Before we judge them too harshly, let's
look at ourselves for a minute. How many
times have we been guilty of following Satan
instead of the Lord? The Word of God plainly
tells us what the Lord's will is for our lives, 2
Cor. 6:17, "Wherefore come out from among
them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord,
and touch not the unclean thing; and I will
receive you,". Yet, all too often, we will aloow
the flesh, the word and the devil distract us
and defeat us.)
(Ill. If you let him, the devil will get you into
such a shape that the Lord cannot bless and
use you you at all! I can think of many, many
preachers this morning who listened to the
siren song of the devil and found themselves
castaways as far as the Lord's work is
concerned. Don't think it can happen to you?
Just ask David, the sweet singer of Israel, the
man after God's own heart, what the devil can
do to your life. You follow the devil and you,
like David might find yourself in a place of
prayer begging God just to restore the joy of
your heart and life, Psa. 51:12. Don't let that
happen in your life! Take the steps that are
necessary to defeat the devil and walk in
victory!)
I. The Enemy Can Be Deceptive
II. The Enemy Can Be Disruptive
III. V. 22-27 THE ENEMY CAN BE DEFEATED
A. V. 22 The Enemy Must Be Confronted - When
Joshua found out what these people had done,
he went straight to them and rebuked them and
confronted them about their sins.
(Ill. There is a lesson in that for the church this
morning. We do not have to roll over and play
dead while the devil molds us to his will! We
need to be like the Lord Jesus, Who when He
was tempted turned to the Word of God and
confronted Satan with the truth of the Book and
caused the devil to have to flee from His
presence! Friends, Satan cannot stand in the
presence of the truth! If you will confront him
with the Word of God, he will leave you alone!)
B. V. 27 The Enemy Must Be Controlled - There
is no question that Joshua and Israel made a
mistake when they dealt with the Gibeonites.
However, mistakes to not have to spell
permanent ruin. Joshua realized the seriousness
of what they had done and he immediately took
the necessary steps to control the situation.
They can't kill them, because they have given
them their word, v. 19. but they can control them!
(Ill. In your life and mine, there will be times when
we will step out of the Lord's will and commit sin.
That is just a fact! However, the mistakes we
make in following the devil do not have to be
permanent, neither do they have to destroy us
completely! Thank God, the Lord has promised
us complete forgiveness and restoration if we will
return to Him in repentance, 1 John 1:9. We
must face the fact that our sins carry
consequences that must play out completely,
Gal. 6:9, yet we can get right with the Lord and
we can serve Him faithfully.)
(Ill. We need to learn from our sins and our
failures so that we do not fall into those same
traps again! Either we will control our sins, or
they will control us! Which it is depends on you
and what you want from life. There is
forgiveness where there is repentance!)
C. V. 27 The Enemy Must Be Commissioned -
Notice what Israel did with the Gibeonites. They
took them and they put them to work carrying
water and chopping wood for the Tabernacle of
the Lord. Joshua took his mistake and used it for
the glory of the Lord! The Bible even indicates
that these people eventually got right with God
and were absorbed into the nation of Israel - 2
Sam 21:2-6. Joshua took his error and used it
for God!
(Ill. Will you and I fail the Lord as we go through
life? Probably, and often! However, our sins and
mistakes do not have to knock us out of the
Lord's work! When we fail we need to allow the
Lord to use that time of sin, chastisement,
correct, repentance and restoration in our lives
for His glory. What the devil meant for your
defeat can be turned into the source of your
greatest victories, if you will allow the Lord to
have His way in your mistakes. You can't undo
the things you have done, but you can bring them
to Jesus and He can use them to help you grow
in Him. What first looked like a curse to the
people of God eventually turned into a blessing
as these people were brought to the Lord and
lived their lives serving God!)
(Ill. Please do not misunderstand me, I am not
trying to glamorize sin in any fashion. I am trying
to tell you that your failures do not have to defeat
you forever! God's grace is bigger than your
mistakes! Let Him prove it this morning!)
Conc: Joshua and Israel thought they were making a
treaty with people from a far away land. However, they
found themselves shackled to a Gibeonite! Has this
ever happened to you? Maybe you are in the middle
of it right now. You listened to your flesh, or the devil
and now you are in a mess. Why not bring that thing
to the Lord and let Him turn you failure into something
He can use for His glory? Maybe you are not even
saved. The devil has you! Maybe you would like to
come and give your life to Jesus right now and watch
Him save your soul and transform you for His glory. If
you need Him this morning you come as He calls!
